But the more Chang Yuan immersed himself in this love, the more he felt the precariousness of the future.
After all, the Herrscher of the End in the future was terrifyingly powerful.
"You seem quite carefree, but congratulations. Don't forget to invite me to your wedding."
Kevin nudged Chang Yuan with his elbow, a mischievous grin on his face.
"Got it. When the day comes, I'll make sure you have a seat."
Chang Yuan naturally agreed to this.
The future—it was both beautiful and dangerous.
Countless people had fallen before the dawn of tomorrow. Chang Yuan didn't know if he could cross that dawn.
But he would give it his all.
The next day...
"Elysia, good morning."
"Hmm~? Good morning, Yuan. Would you like to have breakfast with the elf lady?"
Meeting Chang Yuan, Elysia took the initiative to invite him.
Faced with her invitation, Chang Yuan couldn't possibly refuse, so he nodded in agreement.
The two walked together again, but this time, Elysia didn't hold Chang Yuan's hand.
Seeing this, Chang Yuan steeled himself and took the initiative to hold her hand.
He clearly felt Elysia's steps falter for a moment when he did.
But then, he felt Elysia's hand tighten around his, their fingers intertwining.
"If you want to hold my hand, then don't let go~?."
Elysia, who had been blushing yesterday, now faced this situation with calm composure.
Chang Yuan nodded firmly.
"I won't let go, even if..." Even if you're the one who lets go in the future.
This was something Chang Yuan could only say in his heart.
"Even if what?"
But Elysia was very curious about what Chang Yuan hadn't said.
Just like when they were kids, Chang Yuan always left her hanging.
This feeling made Elysia both love and hate it.
"Even death can't separate us."
"...Is this a confession?"
Elysia stopped walking and turned slightly to look at Chang Yuan.
Her gaze was solely focused on him, her eyes filled only with him.
Facing those eyes he had seen countless times, Chang Yuan had always shyly looked away.
But not this time. He met Elysia's gaze with equal intensity.
"Yes, it's the confession I didn't get to say yesterday. So, Elysia, you—"
"Shh, you don't need to say it. I already know. It's just that I can't give you an answer right now. It's not that I don't like you—I do."
At this point, Elysia's eyes became more determined than ever.
She liked Chang Yuan. Perhaps she had liked him for years.
But she couldn't accept his confession right now.
Because she had a premonition that her future might end in a grand finale.
"Yuan, in the future, I will definitely give you an answer. But not now. I have a feeling that it's my fate. I don't want to hold you back because of me."
"..."
Hearing Elysia's words, Chang Yuan fell silent.
So, even this early on, Elysia had doubts about herself.
But later, with Mei's affirmation, Elysia truly understood the meaning of her existence and chose to sacrifice herself without hesitation.
"Sorry, Yuan. I might not be the ideal girl you imagined. But don't worry, when the time comes, I will definitely give you an answer. For now, let's continue with this relationship, okay?"
Chang Yuan knew what Elysia meant by "this relationship"—the ambiguous state between friends and lovers.
"...Alright, I support you, just like I've always supported you without hesitation."
Although Chang Yuan felt disappointed by Elysia's response, he wasn't disheartened.
At least Elysia had given him a nearly affirmative answer.
If this were the world he came from, she might have kept him hanging indefinitely.
"Thank you. I knew Yuan would understand."
Hearing Chang Yuan's response, Elysia's serious expression instantly turned into her usual lively and cheerful self.
Arriving at the cafeteria, Elysia and Chang Yuan found a table for two.
"Ah, let me feed you~."
"What's this? Couple feeding?"
"Not at all. This is family feeding."
"Alright, let's go with that."
Elysia had already done everything a girlfriend would do—except for that.
This showed her determination.
If it weren't for that premonition, Elysia would have accepted Chang Yuan's confession today.
But because of the feeling that she might die in the future, she didn't dare to accept. She didn't want Chang Yuan to cry for her when she was gone.
But even without her acceptance, Chang Yuan would still cry for her.
After their mutual feeding session, they went off to train—or rather, to carry out missions.
Several months later...
"The Fourth Herrscher has appeared! Location: ** City! Repeat, the Fourth Herrscher has appeared, location..."
The broadcast repeated ten times before stopping.
Upon receiving the information, Chang Yuan and Elysia immediately boarded a Fire Moth aircraft and headed toward the location of the Fourth Herrscher.
When they arrived at the city where the Herrscher had appeared, they saw a figure floating high above the city.
Seeing this, Chang Yuan raised an eyebrow.
He then ordered the fighter jet to stop.
"Elysia, use the Second Divine Key. To prevent any accidents, activate its Zeroth Power Level and take her out instantly."
"Don't worry, there won't be any accidents this time."
Taking out the Second Divine Key, Bow of the Sky, Elysia didn't hesitate and immediately activated its Zeroth Power Level.
In an instant, an orange ripple enveloped the entire city.
At that moment, the fighter jet hovered in the air, and the collapsing buildings froze in place.
Even all the Honkai beasts stopped moving.
In that split second, Elysia drew her bow and fired.
In less than three seconds, the figure in the sky was pierced by an arrow.
To be safe, Elysia fired several more arrows.
The head, left and right chest, abdomen—any vital spot was hit.
When the ten-second control period ended, the once lofty figure fell like a stone.
Seeing this, Elysia immediately jumped down and rushed toward the Herrscher's body.
Only after confirming the Herrscher of Wind's corpse did Elysia finally relax.